Death To Whirlpool

I just found out that our water heater has flamed out. Three years old, maybe, and the electronic box has flaked out. It is just after 7PM West Coast time and all the little Whirlpool people have gone home for the day. This would be the time to call my local plumber, but I expect an emergency call on Friday night would cost as much as new heater. My old mechanical, inefficient, el-cheapo water heater didn't give me any trouble for fifteen years, until it sprung a leak, and even then it was still delivering hot water. The car people seem to have figured out how to make electronics reliable. How much longer before the water people figure it out?